Industry

Vacuum pumps for food and beverage

In the food and beverage industry, vacuum works from conveying ingredients through tumblers, bowl cutters and cookers to freeze drying and packaging – this is how Busch describes it. Leybold names many process steps with hot gases, vapours, liquid and particles; Becker relies on oil-free vacuum for hygiene-critical processes. Below you can see which series the manufacturers themselves name for these tasks – 751 models from 7 manufacturers.

Compare 751 modelsSee the applications

  • 751Models
  • 71Series
  • 7Manufacturers
  • 8Applications
Food on a conveyor belt
Food on a conveyor belt

In short

Food and beverage: vacuum pumps – the key facts

  • Up to 2,400 m³/hFor primary packaging and food processing, Becker names series from 4 to 2,400 m³/h – for chamber and thermoforming packaging machines, tray sealers, tumblers and bowl cutters.
  • Oil-free and hygienicFor hygiene-critical processes, Becker recommends oil-free vacuum and names IFS and BRC: VADS 250 with 290 m³/h and an ultimate pressure of at most 0.1 mbar, VADS 1500+ with 1,380 m³/h at 200 mbar.
  • Longer shelf lifeRemoving oxygen extends shelf life and reduces contamination, according to Elmo Rietschle. Leybold names thermoformers, rotary chamber machines and tumblers for this; Busch counts more than 3 million R5 pumps in the packaging market.
  • Lower temperatureAccording to Edwards, the lower temperature under vacuum preserves nutrients and saves energy. For freeze drying, Busch names pressures below 1 hPa, Pfeiffer Vacuum 0.5 to 10⁻² hPa for coffee and fruit.

Applications

Food and beverage: what vacuum pumps are used for

For each application: what the vacuum does and which series the manufacturers name for it. The information comes from the manufacturers’ own pages.

Vacuum packaging and chamber machines

Before sealing, the air is drawn out of the pack; according to Busch this extends shelf life, and Busch regards the R5 series as the standard. For chamber machines Busch names R5, PANDA/PUMA and COBRA, for tray sealers also HUCKEPACK and MINK; when liquids are packed, the bags are placed at an angle or upright so that nothing boils. Becker names chamber and thermoforming packaging machines as well as tray sealers, Leybold thermoformers and rotary chamber machines. For packaging, Edwards names LR, EH and EOSi and, as an advantage, less volume and less storage space.

More on Vacuum packaging and chamber machines →

Freeze drying (lyophilisation)

Frozen water sublimates under vacuum; this is how freeze drying protects heat-sensitive products, and Busch names pressures below 1 hPa for it. Pfeiffer Vacuum describes the gentle drying of coffee and fruit below 0 °C at 0.5 to 10⁻² hPa, Edwards shorter drying with less energy. Busch names R5, DOLPHIN, MINK, COBRA and PANDA/PUMA, Edwards EDS among others.

More on Freeze drying (lyophilisation) →

Tumbling, cutting and filling meat

Tumblers, marinators, bowl cutters and filling machines work under vacuum. For meat tumblers and marinators Busch names COBRA, DOLPHIN, HUCKEPACK, MINK and R5, for filling machines R5; for tumblers, bowl cutters and fillers Becker recommends oil-free vacuum with VADS, U5/U4 and RBP. For poultry and meat evisceration, Atlas Copco names AWS and LRP: liquid ring vacuum pumps tolerate water, blood and small parts, and slaughter waste travels through a pipe network to the collection point.

More on Tumbling, cutting and filling meat →

Boiling, cooking and pasteurising under vacuum

Under vacuum, water boils at a lower temperature. Busch names the degassing of masses and cooking with less heat with DOLPHIN, likewise sugar coating under vacuum, and COBRA, DOLPHIN and R5 for pasteurisation and sterilisation. Edwards lists cooking and vacuum cooking for its LR series and, for extraction, names the lower temperature (XDS).

  • BuschDOLPHIN, R5 also names COBRA and PANDA/PUMA
  • EdwardsLR1A, LR1C, LR1D names XDS for extraction, deodorisation without a series

More on Boiling, cooking and pasteurising under vacuum →

Pneumatic conveying of ingredients and powders

Bulk materials and powders are moved by suction or compressed air in closed lines. Busch names the conveying of sugar and flour with DOLPHIN, MINK, SAMOS and TYR, the gentle conveying of powder and granulate with MINK, R5, SAMOS and TYR, the suction conveying of ice for cooling with MINK and R5, and wet food waste with DOLPHIN, HUCKEPACK, MINK, R5 and TYR.

More on Pneumatic conveying of ingredients and powders →

Filling and degassing beverages

When beer is bottled, the bottle is evacuated before filling; Busch names DOLPHIN for this, and for bottle filling also R5, MINK, COBRA and PANDA/PUMA. When mineral water is degassed, oxygen and CO2 are removed from the water (DOLPHIN, MINK); according to Busch, carbonation is handled by a DOLPHIN compressor. Edwards lists filling for its LR series, Atlas Copco names its DB series for winemaking.

More on Filling and degassing beverages →

Evaporation, concentration and distillation

In evaporation, water is evaporated and the raw material concentrated – Atlas Copco names this for sugar, juice and milk and lists AWS, LRP and MVR for it, and LRP 700–1000 VSD+ for milk evaporation. Edwards describes distillation as boiling at a lower temperature (LR, XDS, EH, E2M Ex, GV) and edible oil refining, in which impurities are removed from the crude oil.

More on Evaporation, concentration and distillation →

Vacuum cooling

In vacuum cooling, water evaporates from the product and draws heat from it. Busch names COBRA, DOLPHIN, PANDA, PUMA and R5 for this; Edwards lists rapid cooling for its LR series. Neither manufacturer describes the application in more detail.

  • BuschR5, DOLPHIN also names COBRA and PANDA/PUMA
  • EdwardsLR1A, LR1C, LR1D rapid cooling without a description

More on Vacuum cooling →

Sub-sectors

Food and beverage in detail

Separate pages for the areas the manufacturers treat on their own.

Beverages and bottling

Vacuum pumps for breweries and bottlers: evacuating bottles, airtight closing, degassing and conveying – series from Atlas Copco, Elmo Rietschle and Leybold.

Dairy

Vacuum pumps for cheese towers, butter, milk powder, milking and packaging in dairies – series that Busch, Pfeiffer Vacuum and Edwards name themselves.

Confectionery and bakery

Vacuum pumps for mixing, cooking, demoulding, conveying and packaging confectionery and pasta – series that Busch, Atlas Copco and Pfeiffer name themselves.

Manufacturers and series

Food and beverage: 7 manufacturers, 71 series

Listed are the series the manufacturer itself names for this industry. “Show only …” sets the filter of the product overview.

Product overview

Food and beverage: all 751 models compared

Use the filters on the left to narrow the selection – by manufacturer, technology and the models’ key figures, for 50 or 60 Hz.

Atlas Copco AWD series 14 models

AWD 110 SPumping speed 106 m³/h 50 Hz128 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 3 kW 50 Hz3.7 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 140 SPumping speed 145 m³/h 50 Hz174 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 4 kW 50 Hz5.5 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 180 SPumping speed 186 m³/h 50 Hz223 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 5.5 kW 50 Hz7.5 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 300 SPumping speed 270 m³/h 50 Hz314 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 7.5 kW 50 Hz11 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 350 SPumping speed 342 m³/h 50 Hz411 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 11 kW 50 Hz15 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 400 SPumping speed 425 m³/h 50 Hz475 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 15 kW 50 Hz18.5 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 500 SPumping speed 501 m³/h 50 Hz590 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 18.5 kW 50 Hz22 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 600 SPumping speed 616 m³/h 50 Hz739 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 20 kW 50 Hz30 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 800 SPumping speed 862 m³/h 50 Hz1,032 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 30 kW 50 Hz37 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 1200 SPumping speed 1,252 m³/h 50 Hz1,407 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 37 kW 50 Hz45 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 1600 SPumping speed 1,589 m³/h 50 Hz1,717 m³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 45 kW 50 Hz75 kW 60 HzVariants 3
AWD 1960Pumping speed 2,000 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 75 kW 50 HzVariants 3
AWD 3280Pumping speed 3,300 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 110 kW 50 HzVariants 3
AWD 4510Pumping speed 4,500 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 33 mbarRated motor power 132 kW 50 HzVariants 3

Atlas Copco AWL series 11 models

AWL 4000Pumping speed 4,290 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 160 mbarRated motor power 160 kW 50 HzVariants
AWL 5500Pumping speed 5,580 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 160 mbarRated motor power 185 kW 50 HzVariants
AWL 7000Pumping speed 6,900 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 160 mbarRated motor power 185 kW 50 HzVariants 8
AWL 9500Pumping speed 9,200 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 160 mbarRated motor power 200 kW 50 HzVariants 8
AWL 12500Pumping speed 12,500 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 160 mbarRated motor power 280 kW 50 HzVariants 8
AWL 15000Pumping speed 15,000 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 160 mbarRated motor power 315 kW 50 HzVariants 9
AWL 17500Pumping speed 17,400 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 160 mbarRated motor power 400 kW 50 HzVariants 8
AWL 21500Pumping speed 21,300 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 160 mbarRated motor power 450 kW 50 HzVariants 8
AWL 26000Pumping speed 25,800 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 160 mbarRated motor power 560 kW 50 HzVariants 6
AWL 30000Pumping speed 30,000 m³/h 50 HzUltimate pressure 160 mbarRated motor power 630 kW 50 HzVariants 4

Atlas Copco AWS series 22 models

Atlas Copco DBD series 6 models

Atlas Copco DBDt series 17 models

Atlas Copco DBS series 29 models

Atlas Copco DBSt series 12 models

Atlas Copco DZS series 8 models

Atlas Copco LRP VSD+ series 3 models

Becker BCV series 7 models

Becker O series 6 models

Becker RBP series 3 models

Becker U4 series 6 models

Becker U O2-PACK series 5 models

Becker U series 8 models

Becker VADS series 3 models

Busch COBRA Industry series 36 models

Busch DOLPHIN series 70 models

Busch HUCKEPACK series 4 models

Busch MINK series 32 models

Busch PANDA/PUMA series 26 models

Busch R5 series 58 models

Busch SAMOS series 31 models

Busch SECO series 10 models

Busch TYR series 16 models

Edwards E2M series 9 models

Edwards EDS series 3 models

Edwards EH series 5 models

Edwards EOSi series 10 models

Edwards GV series 2 models

Edwards GXS series 10 models

Edwards LR1A series 12 models

Edwards LR1C series 9 models

Edwards LR1D series 12 models

Edwards nXRi series 5 models

Edwards RV series 8 models

Edwards Stokes series 4 models

Edwards XDS series 2 models

Elmo Rietschle C-KLR series 2 models

Elmo Rietschle C-VLR series 7 models

Elmo Rietschle C-VLU series 4 models

Elmo Rietschle G-BH1 series 25 models

Elmo Rietschle G-BH2 series 9 models

Elmo Rietschle G-BH7 series 15 models

Elmo Rietschle G-BH9 series 1 model

Elmo Rietschle G-BH100 series 1 model

Elmo Rietschle L-BL2 series 7 models

Elmo Rietschle L-BV2 series 4 models

Elmo Rietschle L-BV3 series 1 model

Elmo Rietschle L-BV5 series 5 models

Elmo Rietschle L-BV7 series 4 models

Elmo Rietschle S-SVT series 11 models

Elmo Rietschle S-VSI series 1 model

Elmo Rietschle V-KTR series 4 models

Elmo Rietschle V-VCA/VCE series 2 models

Elmo Rietschle V-VCB series 2 models

Elmo Rietschle V-VCS series 13 models

Elmo Rietschle V-VCX series 7 models

Elmo Rietschle V-VGD series 2 models

Elmo Rietschle V-VTN series 3 models

Elmo Rietschle V-VTR series 2 models

Leybold CLAWVAC series 5 models

Leybold DRYVAC series 9 models

Leybold NEO D series 5 models

Leybold NOVADRY series 4 models

Leybold SCREWLINE series 2 models

Leybold SOGEVAC series 23 models

Pfeiffer Vacuum ACP series 4 models

Pfeiffer Vacuum DuoVane series 12 models

Pfeiffer Vacuum HiLobe series 17 models

Pfeiffer Vacuum HiScroll series 4 models

Model comparison

Models a manufacturer no longer carries in its current range are listed in its “Outdated models” section.

Selection

Food and beverage: choosing a vacuum pump

What the manufacturers highlight for use in this industry.

Oil-free or oil-lubricated

For hygiene-critical processes, Becker recommends oil-free vacuum and refers to IFS and BRC. Busch names the R5 series as the standard in vacuum packaging. Leybold states that NOVADRY is approved for O2 MAP. Which solution fits depends on the process and on the hygiene requirements on site.

Vapours, liquid, particles

Leybold describes food processing as many steps with hot gases, vapours, liquid and particles. For wet processes such as evisceration, Atlas Copco names liquid ring vacuum pumps that tolerate water, blood and small parts. Edwards lists tumbling, cooking and filling for its LR series.

Ultimate pressure per process

Not every application needs a deep vacuum. Becker names 1,380 m³/h at 200 mbar for VADS 1500+, and 290 m³/h at no more than 0.1 mbar for VADS 250. According to Busch, freeze drying works below 1 hPa, according to Pfeiffer Vacuum at 0.5 to 10⁻² hPa.

Pumping speed and cycle time

As an example where short evacuation times are needed, Elmo Rietschle names the S-VSI 300 with up to 380 m³/h and 0.1 mbar (abs.). Becker covers 4 to 2,400 m³/h with its series, Leybold names VACUBE up to 4,800 m³/h.

Frequently asked questions

Food and beverage: frequently asked questions about vacuum pumps

Which vacuum pump is suitable for food processing?

The manufacturers name different series: Busch R5, MINK, SAMOS, TYR, SECO and DOLPHIN; Leybold CLAWVAC, SOGEVAC, NOVADRY, DRYVAC, NEO D and SCREWLINE; Becker O, U, U4, U O2-PACK, RBP, BCV and VADS; Atlas Copco AWS, AWD, AWL and LRP; Edwards GXS, EDS, Stokes and LR; Elmo Rietschle its families C, S, L, G and V. The process decides which one fits: packaging, conveying, cooking and drying place different demands on ultimate pressure and pumping speed.

Oil-free or oil-lubricated – which vacuum pump for food?

For hygiene-critical processes, Becker recommends oil-free vacuum (VADS, U5/U4 with RBP) and names the IFS and BRC standards. Busch lists the R5 series as the standard in vacuum packaging. Leybold states that NOVADRY is approved for O2 MAP. Both routes are documented by the manufacturers; what matters are the product, cleaning and the requirements on site.

Which vacuum pump for vacuum packaging machines?

Busch names the R5 series as the standard and counts more than 3 million R5 pumps in the packaging market; for chamber machines Busch lists R5, PANDA/PUMA and COBRA, for tray sealers also HUCKEPACK and MINK. Becker names O, U, U O2-PACK, U4, RBP, BCV and VADS for chamber and thermoforming packaging machines as well as tray sealers. Leybold names SOGEVAC, NOVADRY, CLAWVAC, DRYVAC and SCREWLINE for thermoformers and rotary chamber machines, Edwards its LR series.

How much vacuum does freeze drying of food need?

Busch names pressures below 1 hPa for freeze drying. Pfeiffer Vacuum describes the drying of coffee and fruit below 0 °C at 0.5 to 10⁻² hPa. As pumps, Busch names R5, DOLPHIN, MINK, COBRA and PANDA/PUMA, Edwards EDS among others, and Pfeiffer Vacuum ACP, DuoVane, HiLobe and HiScroll.

Why is food cooked or concentrated under vacuum?

Under vacuum, water boils at a lower temperature. Busch therefore names cooking with less heat and the degassing of masses with DOLPHIN. Edwards describes distillation as boiling at a lower temperature and says the lower temperature preserves nutrients and saves energy. Atlas Copco names the concentration of sugar, juice and milk, in which water is evaporated, with AWS, LRP and MVR.

Which vacuum pump for tumblers and bowl cutters?

For meat tumblers and marinators Busch names COBRA, DOLPHIN, HUCKEPACK, MINK and R5, for meat cutters DOLPHIN, HUCKEPACK and R5, and for filling machines R5. For tumblers, bowl cutters and fillers, Becker recommends oil-free vacuum with VADS 250 (290 m³/h, at most 0.1 mbar) or U5/U4 with RBP. Edwards lists tumbling for its LR series, Leybold names tumblers alongside thermoformers and rotary chamber machines.

Which vacuum pump for pneumatic conveying of flour and sugar?

For conveying sugar and flour by vacuum, Busch names DOLPHIN, MINK, SAMOS and TYR; powder and granulate are conveyed gently with MINK, R5, SAMOS and TYR. For wet food waste Busch lists DOLPHIN, HUCKEPACK, MINK, R5 and TYR, for the suction conveying of ice MINK and R5. For powder processing, Busch also names SECO.

What if vapour, liquid or particles get into the vacuum pump?

Leybold explicitly describes food processing as a process with hot gases, vapours, liquid and particles and names CLAWVAC, SOGEVAC, NOVADRY, DRYVAC, NEO D and SCREWLINE for it. For wet processes such as evisceration, Atlas Copco names liquid ring vacuum pumps (AWS, LRP) that tolerate water, blood and small parts. Edwards lists cooking, tumbling and filling for its LR series.

Which vacuum pump for bottle filling and beverages?

For beer bottling Busch names DOLPHIN – the bottle is evacuated before filling – and for bottle filling in general R5, MINK, COBRA and PANDA/PUMA. When mineral water is degassed, DOLPHIN and MINK remove oxygen and CO2; carbonation is handled by a DOLPHIN compressor. Atlas Copco names the DB series for winemaking, Edwards the LR series for filling.

Which vacuum pump for grippers and pick & place in the food industry?

For vacuum lifting, handling and pick & place, Busch names SECO, MINK, SAMOS and TYR; the grippers move products hygienically. For placing butter packs into cartons and trays, Busch names claw pumps and side channel blowers, and for cartoning machines MINK, R5, SAMOS, SECO and TYR.

Does Ehrler & Beck also supply spare parts and service?

Yes. Ehrler & Beck offers original spare parts and accessories as well as maintenance and repair.

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